The Solving the Millennial Mystery report, which surveyed over 1,000 millennial employees about their attitudes to work, found that what they want is simpler and more in line with the desires of other generations than is often assumed.
Natural light (41%), for instance, is the feature millennials would most like to have in their office environment, beating not just break out areas (29%) and having a TV/radio (23%), but also the presence of a games station (14%) and a bar (11%).
Like many other workers, millennials also prioritise pay (63%) and location (55%) over anything else when looking for a job. Flexible and mobile working options (35%) are also valued highly by this generation, with close to one in ten (9%) wanting to work from home five days a week.
Conversely, a company’s reputation (8%) and even their corporate social responsibility (10%) are not considered as important for millennial job seekers.
Alex Fleming, President of General Staffing, The Adecco Group UK and Ireland, commented:
“As the new year is one of the most popular times for moving jobs and millennials make up one of the biggest generations in the workplace, it’s not surprising that many businesses are concerned with how to attract top talent from this generation. The good news is that our research suggests that their desires don’t vary drastically from those of other generations. Businesses should be comforted by the fact that they are probably better prepared than they think.
“Offering good pay and facilitating a working from home culture are steps that will not just help boost a firm’s attractiveness to millennials but many jobseekers in general. As the number of generations in the workforce rises, businesses must steer away from any stereotypical views of generations and instead provide benefits and working practices that are tailored to individual needs.”
When it comes to managers, the most important quality in a manager, according to millennials, is leading by example (27%), followed by having empathy (14%) and being inspiring (12%). Interestingly, only 5% say that their manager being a friend or authoritative (2%) is important to them.